Lehigh Names Executive Director of Martindale Center for the Study of Private Enterprise

Lehigh University College of Business and Economic‘s professor Todd A Watkins has been named the executive director of the Lehigh University Martindale Center for the Study of Private Enterprise. Watkins is the second person to hold this title since the center was founded. In addition to serving as the Arthur F. Searing Professor of Economics at Lehigh, Watkins is also the founding executive director of the Baker Institute for Entrepreneurship, Creativity and Innovation and co-founded the Integrated Product Development (IPD) program at Lehigh.

The Martingale Center for the Study of Private Enterprise was established in 1980 by Dr. J. Richard Aronson through a generous endowment from Elizabeth and Harry Martindale. Dr. Aronson joined Lehigh as an assistant professor of economics in 1965. He was with Lehigh University for 50 years until his retirement this year. Dr. Aronson spent 30 years with the Martindale Center and has helped to shape it in to the successful center it is today.

The Martindale Center offers five different programs to students. The program offerings include, Canadian Studies Institute, Lehigh Community Research and Policy Service, Microfinance and School Executive in Residence Program. The Center also offers students the opportunity to attend numerous conferences and visiting speaker events.

Professor Watkins received his bachelor’s degree in optical design from the University of Rochester and his master’s and Ph.D. in public policy from Harvard University. His research and teaching have focused on the intersection of innovation, entrepreneurship, public policy and economic development. Watkins plans to make a few changes to the Center including strengthening global programs across the entire university as well as increasing global business and economic development policy research and developing a new family-business research program.

 

regions: New York City / Philadelphia

About the Author